Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The Most Basic of all Anxiety Disorders

We all know that genetics and stress and biology are causes of
generalized anxiety disorder, and all forms of anxiety disorder.
However, we should be more interested in looking at the causes we can
work on: our own thoughts, perceptions, interpretations and behavior.

Lets look at what we do that makes anxiety worse

It may be that the things we are doing to make our anxiety worse are
also the most important causes of generalized anxiety disorder. THIS IS
GOOD NEWS. It means that you can work on your anxiety and feeling
better.

Barlow ( 2002)describes anxious apprehension, or " the future-
oriented mood state in which an individual becomes ready for or prepares
to cope with negative events."

When I first read this I thought, clearly I have generalized
anxiety disorder. In my family, this was the rule! Of course you prepare
for upcoming disaster. In every situation doesn't it help to prepare
for the worst case scenario? Isn't this what successful, thoughtful
goal-oriented people do? How can preparing for the worst be a bad thing?
Doesn't that leave you prepared?

Is this true for you? Do you always worry about the future?
Are you always preparing for the worst? Do you spend a lot of time
focused on how uncertain it is?

Worrying creates a sense of fear and dread which perpetuates anxiety

Well, it turns out, it isn't such a great thing. Anxious people take
this to the extreme. A persistent focus on possible negative future
outcome causes your mind to shift always to the negative and
threatening, your body to be stressed physiologically, and your
problem-solving and coping skills behavior to be unproductive. This
future focus also magnifies our sense of uncertainty, which many have
difficulty dealing with. Unfortunately everything is uncertain, isn't
it?

"I've developed a new philosophy... I only dread one day at a time. " ~Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)

Worrying about and dreading the future does nothing to reduce the uncertainty of it

One of the causes of generalized anxiety disorder is the environment
you grow up in. Children learn how to view the world and solve problems
from watching their parents.

It can't be good for children to always assume the worse case
scenario, can it? To learn that if you don't worry constantly over
possible disastrous future consequences that something terrible will
befall you?

Children raised in this emotional environment may learn fear
and dread for the future, mistrust of the universe, and may lack a sense
of safety.

This kind of mindset becomes the greatest of all the causes of
generalized anxiety disorder. Make no mistake, this is a debilitating
illness, which reduces the quality of your life.

If you are reading this, it is likely that you or someone you
love is struggling with anxiety. Think about how family patterns may
have contributed to the way you view the world.

Focus on worrying about and controlling the future causes you to be unable to experience your present

The process of planning for the future, and anticipating consequences
is not in and of itself a bad thing. For worriers, however, it becomes
the core issue that perpetuates their anxiety.

Worrying is not an effective way to solve problems. Problem
solving is an effective way to solve problems. Problem solving consists
of weighing the pros and cons, evaluating them and making a decision.

Worrying, a mechanism which perpetuates anxiety, prevents you
from solving problems. In fact, many researchers and treatment providers
now believe worrying is a way of avoiding problems.

Is this one of the causes of generalized anxiety disorder for
you? Think about what you are worrying about and see if you aren't
avoiding solving a problem.

How does this anxiety happen? Why does it happen? Research shows
that that people who have GAD and other anxiety disorders are more
likely than others to be prone to intense, quick and overwhelming
emotional reactions( Eiffert and Forsyth 2005). One of the causes of
generalized anxiety disorder could be described as a person's tendency
to be overwhelmed by their emotions. Therefore, they adapt the act of
worrying to cope with this. Research has shown that they are able to
avoid the temporary intense physiological and imagined distress
associated with anxiety, but in the long term, worry makes anxiety worse
because it prevents people from effective problem solving and it serves
as an avoidance for people who are anxious.